Safety attachment for cloth-folding machines.



SEDEON.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR cLoIH FOLDENG MACHINES Inveni'or Jitor-ne y:

APPHCATION HLED 9H. 5. I914.

ALFRED L. SEDDON,'OF WATERFORD, NEW YORK.

SAFETY ATTACHMENTFOR CLOTH-FOLDING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 3 1119, 1916,

Application filed December 5, 1914. Serial No. 875,683;

" To all whom it may concern: i

'Be'it known that I, ALFRED L. SnoooN a citizenof the .United States,residihg at Waterford, .countyof Saratoga, and State tor.

ofNew York have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SafetyAttachments for Cloth-Folding-Machines, of which the following is'aspecification.

The invention relates to such improvements and consists .in the/novelconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described andsubsequently claimed.

Reference ma y be had to the accompanying drawings, and the referencecharacters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.Similar characters refer Y to similar parts in theseve'ral figurestherein.

Figure 1. of the drawings is a view in side elevation of a cloth-foldinmachine provided with my improved safety attachment. Fig. 2 is a similarview of the attachment and the means for operating the attachment,showing the belt-shifting rod-in crosssection, a portion of the frame ofthe machine being indicated by broken lines. Fig. 3 is a'view inelevation of the right-hand end of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1,omitting various parts not necessary for an understanding ofthe-invention. Fig. 4 a. top planview of the attachment and neigh boringparts of the machine.

The invention relates to cloth-folding machines of the type wherein along strip or web of cloth is laid back and forth in folds upon a tableby means of folding-blades can ried by' an oscillating arm.

The object .of the invention is to safeguard the operator of such amachine by making it practically impossible for the op erator to startthe machine except when the movable parts are in such position that theinitial movement of the folding-blades will be in a direction away fromthe opera- In beginning the folding of a newly inserted web of cloth insuch a machine, it is necessary for theoperator to hold by hand thefirst inserted end of the web, while the first fold of the web is beinglaid upon the table by means of thefolding-blades; and if, in startingthe machine to begin the folding of a newly inserted web, the firstmovement of the folding-blades is toward the operator, there is dangerof the operators hands being engaged and injured by the f0ldingblades.

Referring to the drawings wherein a the invention'is shown in preferredform, 1' is the frame of the machine, and 2 is the inain drive-shaftconnected bybelt, 3., and suitable pulleys with an intermediate shaft,4, which shaft, 4, is connected by means of a belt, 5, and suitablepulleys, with-a-crankshaft, 6, each of the shafts, 2, 4, and 6 beingrotatively mounted in suitable bearings on v the frame of the machine. Acrank-arm, 7, on the crank-shaft, 6, is connected by a rod,

8, with an oscillating'lever, 9, pivoted at its lower end at 10, uponthe frame of the ma-v chine, upon the upper endof which lever, 9,

are mounted the cloth-folding-kiiives, 11. Ihe web of fabric, 12, is ledirito themachine through a tension-device, 13, from which it passes.down between. the knives, i

11, and by the reciprocating movement of the knives, 11, is laid backan'djforith in folds upon the table, 14. As the cloth is laid backandforth in folds uponthe table,- 14, the folds are successively clampedbetween the end-portions 'of the table, 14, and the respective clamps,15, the clamping ofthe folds being accomplished by a vertical rockingmovement of-the table, 14, by suitable mechanism, the operation of whichit is unneces sary to herein describe.

The main-drive-shaft, 2, has mounted thereon a fixed pulley, 16, and anidle pulley, 17, and is adapted to be driven by means of a belt, 18,which can be shifted at-will from one to the other of said pulleys bymeans .of a belt-shifter, 2 1, fixed-upon the ings in the frame of themachine, and adapted to be reciprocated by means of the handlever, 20,fnlcrumed at 21, upon the frame of the machine.

The construction above described is that found in a well-known type ofcloth fo'ldend .of a rod, 19, mounted in slideway-bear ing machine, andwill be fully understood by those skilled in the art.

In inserting a new web, the end of the web is led from thetension-device, 13, be-

tween the knives, 11, to the front end of the machine, which is theright-hand end as viewed in Fig.1. The end of the web is then drawn bythe hand of the operator down upon the front end of the table, 14, at

22, and is held in such position by one hand of the operator, while withhis other hand he operates the hand-lever, 20, to shift the belt, 18,from the idle pulley, 17, to the fixed pulley, 1G, tostart the machine,the operation of the. machine. being discontinued at the completion ofthe folding of each web.

' The. operator can thus satel hold the end of Incarrying out myinvention I fix upon the beltshitting-rod, 19, a beveled offset, 23,

and I mount in a slidewa-ybearing, 25, on

the frame of theanachii'ie a reci u'ocatory rod, 20, having on one end ayielding latch, 27, yieldingly controlled by a spring, 28, which latchis adapted to be reciprorated by the, reciprocating movement of the.rod, 26, into and out of the path of said ofi set,'23. The other end ofthe rod, 20, is connected by means of a lever, 31, fulcrun'ied at 32, othe frame of themachinc, and a pitn'ian, 29, with an eccentric,30,.fixed upon the crankshaft, (35 r In the operation of the machine theeccentric, 30, causes a reciprocating In'iovemcnt of the rod, 26, byeach revolution o ti: '1 crankshaft, (3, which reciprocating movement ofthe rod, 26, imparts a. similar reciprocating movement to the-yieldinglatch, 27, which,

. so far as this i'iiovemcnt is concerned, is in effect a part oftherod, 26. The position of the eccentric, 30, on the crankshaft, 26, issuch that during the movement of the beltoperating lever, 9, toward thefront end of the, machine, the yielding latch, 27, is located in thepath of the oll'set, .23, on the belt-shifting rod, 1.": and dnrin therearward n'iovcmcnt of the beltoperating lover, 9, the latch, 27, ofsaid olfset. 2-3. llt will thus be seen that the, machine can be stoppedat any time dur in the rearward movement ofythe lever. 9, by shiftingthe rod, 19, to move the belttrom the fixed pulley, 16-, to the idlepulley, 17,

'without engagement ofthe beveled oll'set, 23, with the yielding latch,27; and that it'- the. machine is so stoppeththc yielding, latch, 27,being out of the path of the offset, 23, offers no obstruction to thereturn movement of the rod, 19. whereby the belt is shifted from theidle palle v. l7, to-the fixed pulley, 10, to ai,ain start the machine;and that in so= starti hg the machine, the. initial movein a rearwarddirection a way from the op orator. it, however, the machine be. stoppedduring the. forwardmovement ot the lever,

is withdrawn from the path i and blades. 11. the latch. '27, will thenbe located in the path of the otlset. 93, but will yield and be forcedback by the beveled side of said oil'set. [)(lllli ttlllfl the rod,-19,to be operated to shi l't lhe'bclt from the fixed pullov. 16, to theidle pulley, 17; but-as soon as the oliset, 23. has passed the latch,27, the latch will automatically spring back into the path of returnmovement of the offset, 23, and form a positive stop to prevent a returnmovement of the rod, 19, to start the machine. The latch, 27, thusprevents the operator from starting the machine at a time when theinitial movement of the rod, 19,

. would be toward the'operator; and in such case, the operatoroperates-the machine by hand .bllltlllgll the medium of the lever, 9, or

crank-a rm, 7, until the, lever, 9, is in a position where the. initialmovement of the machine when started by means of the. belt, .18, willcause the lever, 9,,and blades, 11, to move in the rearward direction.

In Fig. '2 the parts are, shown in such a position that the latch, 27,is withdrawn from the path of the ofl'set, '23,.whi1cin Fig.

4- the partsare shown in such a position that the latch, 27 is locatedin the path of; the. ottset, 13, in which position it prevents a returnmovement of the belt shifting" rod. 19.

What I claimas new and desire to secure 7 by Letters latent.is' V 1. Ina machine oftheclass described, and m rombnratlon, a recqwocatoryclothla vin member: a drive-shaft; mechanismv for starting and stoppingtheoperatimi of said drive-shaft 'con'iprisin'g mpart a m0vable memberhaving-a beveled offset"; a re:

ciprocatorv memliier having av yielding latch movable into and out ofthe path of said. oll'set and adapted when in thelpath of said oil's-ctto yield to a stopping 'movement of the beveled offset and to movementthereof and the member having prevent. a starting operating connectionsbetween said drive shaft and said cloth-laying mechanism and saidreri-procatory member,- whereby said latch is maintained in the path ofsaid offset du ring the "forward 'n'iovement-of the clothla \'inflmechanism and is. held withdrawn from the path of saidofiset during therearward movement of the cloth-laying mechamsm.

In a machine of the class described, and

in combination, reciprocatory cloth-laying mechanism; a crank-shafthaving a crank connected with said cloth-laying mechanism;

a belt-driven shaft connected with said crank-shaft; belt-shiftingmechanism comprising in part a. reciprocatory member havin; a beveledoffset; a reciprocatory rod having a yielding latch adapted to becarried by said rod into and out of the path of said otlsct and adaptedwhen in the path of said offset to yield'to a stopping movement of theing the rearward movement of the cloth- 1-0 belt-shifting mechanismankto prevent a laying mechanism. starting movement thereof; and aneccentric In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set fixed upon saidcrankshaft in connection my hand this 19th day of November, 1914. withsaid reeiprocetory rod in a position to ALFRED L SEDDON maintain sai 1ilatch in the path of said oflset ying (he forward movement of the cloth-Witnesses:

12. "hanism and to hold said latch HAROLD WQTURNER, .7 from the path ofsaid oifset dur- J. SEYMOUR TONER- v

